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At the 2010 Indiana State Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Conference in June, then-ISBA president Roderick Morgan welcomed
those in attendance, particularly those who found themselves to be “suddenly solo.” While he may not be the first
to use the phrase, a number of attorneys have found themselves either making that decision or having it made for them in the
last couple years.

While the need for services for indigent Hoosiers during these tough economic times continues to increase, civil legal aid
providers are reporting that budgets for 2011 will be similar to those of 2010, and the numbers of cases handled in 2010 are
comparable to 2009.

A case before the Indiana Court of Appeals calls into question the constitutionality of the state’s new child support
guidelines, challenging the revisions that last year altered the payment scheme for high-income earners and raised the ceiling
on child support obligations.

Because mediations have become commonplace in family law cases, it may come as no surprise that a number of Indiana counties
have been implementing a similar strategy to determine if a child is a child in need of services, or CHINS.

Effective Jan. 1, the Southern District of Indiana amended three local rules affecting civil practice, plus Local Criminal
Rule 13.1 affecting criminal practice and sentencing (see the court’s website for the text of all rule changes).

As the family court project of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Division of State Court Administration enters a new year,
courts that participate in the program have learned they will continue to operate with about the same amount of funding they
have had in recent years.

Domestic violence victims’ advocates and criminal law attorneys are waiting on the Indiana Supreme Court’s decision
in a case involving a criminal defendant’s subpoena for records from a victim’s advocacy organization.

While low interest rates can be a good thing for those looking to take out loans to buy a home, a car, or to refinance, they
mean nothing but headaches and heartaches for organizations that depend on the dollars generated, such as legal aid organizations
that rely on funds from Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts.

Lake Circuit Judge Lorenzo Arredondo didn’t set out to make history when he took the bench more than three decades ago.
But thanks to what he describes as an array of “historical accidents” over the course of his life, the 69-year
old has cemented his name in the history books.

Some may say law and politics go together like love and marriage, but it’s more than a cliché when looking at
how the Indiana legal community is being influenced and even transformed by the political process.

When pro se litigants find themselves in a courthouse for the first time, there’s a good chance they aren’t quite
sure what to do. In the Clark County courthouse in Jeffersonville, just across the river from Louisville, a self-help center
for pro se litigants in civil cases has been operational since late May.

Retiring Indiana Tax Court Judge Thomas G. Fisher received a warm goodbye at a send-off ceremony Dec. 17, as the state recognized
the solid and nationally recognized body of caselaw that Indiana’s first appellate tax judge created during his 24 years
on the bench.

Terre Haute attorney Scott M. Kyrouac wants to advance civility between plaintiffs and defense lawyers, and plans to advocate
against “anti-lawyer legislation” that may be lodged against the legal community.